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Superior officials, residents reexamine town hall expansion at community meeting

Multiple redesigns, rushed development plans halted project in July

By Anthony Hahn

Staff Writer

Posted:
08/31/2016 09:27:30 PM MDT

Superior resident Daryl McCool expresses her concerns at a community meeting for the proposed town hall expansion on Wednesday at the Superior town hall. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

In July, concerns from residents of old town Superior, multiple redesigns of the original plan and what many perceived to be a rushed development process served to ground plans for a roughly $2.6 million town hall expansion project.

On Wednesday night, residents — most of whom stand in stark opposition to development encroaching on and impacting the aesthetic of their residential community — filed in to a community meeting to voice their opinions for the town hall expansion as officials once again seek to revamp the project moving forward.

"I moved out here in 1975 and I've lived here for over 40 years," resident Ross Morgan said. "I've seen a lot of changes over those years. When I first got here, Superior was a quiet little town — some of the changes have been traumatic over the years. My point of view on the town hall expansion is that it's just another encroachment on those who have made their homes here expecting a quiet way of life. We feel a little overrun at times."

Citing the need for a more efficient and accessible government headquarters, Superior trustees earlier this year took the first steps toward town hall expansion plans, approving of a contract with Anderson Hallas Architects. Approximately $2.6 million was allocated for the project.

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As the development plans accelerated in the months following the town's announcement, residents — specifically those of old town — grew concerned that trustees had rushed plans forward without a true evaluation of its impact. As residents expressed their hopes for the next development phase of the project Wednesday night, that sentiment was once again echoed.

"Just the build out of a park (in Superior) would take at least three years just to get approval," resident Mark Lacis said. "I would like to see that process happen here. Before we get started on all the details (of the project), we need to look at the participation from our residents."

During a portion of the Board of Trustees meeting in July slated for discussion of the town hall expansion's most recent design, trustees conceded that the concerns surrounding the expansion would need to be addressed before moving ahead with their plans.

While Wednesday's meeting represents the latest step toward a more agreed upon development plan, concerns expressed by some residents signaled a larger divide than most officials had first expected.

"I realize it's not realistic for the mayor and board to feel the way I feel about old town — you don't live here," resident Louise Bennett said. "I would like you to put yourselves in our shoes. Imagine development moving in on all sides of you and changing your quality of life."

Though the 4-square-mile town's population hovered around just 255 in 1990, according to the U.S. Census, rising to 9,011 in 2000, growth and expansion throughout the last decade thrust mass development into Superior.

Original design options called for balancing several imperatives, including enhancing customer service for residents, providing efficiencies for town operations, an addition to the existing building and doing it all in a cost-effective manner.

Development set aside for future growth is not unusual in towns that have transformed over the last decade — especially in Superior, where rapid expansion in the form of a controversial Town Center and revitalized Calmante housing have come in a flash.

At the meeting's conclusion, Trustee Chris Hanson offered some words of reassurance to residents, hoping to quell concern over what some have perceived as a one-sided development process.

"We are listening to your concerns," he said. "I know town staff wants to see this done sooner than later, but this isn't about town staff; it's about the residents. We are hearing you and we're making the decisions to do it differently."

Trustees are expected to bring the issue back for further official discussion sometime this month.

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